Up From the Ruins: archaeology in the making in São Tomé (São Tomé e Príncipe)

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

‘Archaeology’ often evokes elusive traces of the past, buried by the sands of time and waiting to be ‘found.’ This is not the case for Praia Melão, where monumental ruins provide the only tangible testament to São Tomé’s early plantation history. Despite its architectural magnificence, neighboring populations do not relate to the site, perceiving it as a ruin, a place of ghosts. My work represents the first scholarly research targeting this unique site, standing as an embodiment of colonial legacies and power relations that shaped the modern Atlantic world. Community involvement is central to the archaeological investigation being undertaken, decentering São Tomé’s materiality from empire making to focus on marginalized peoples, past and present. The archaeology being launched at Praia Melão demonstrates the strength of historical archaeology in Africa as a decolonizing, interdisciplinary lens to reconcile different forms of knowledge and promote community empowerment.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow